Press

Easter Egg Roll: The Holiday Bustle and Hustle

As the Easter Monday event became more of an attraction, a rule was fixed to limit the number of people coming into the enclosed South Lawn. The rule stated that a "grown person would be admitted only when accompanied by a child" and vice versa. As a result, unescorted egg rollers and childless adults began teaming up at random so that each could gain admittance. Enterprising children even charged a fee for parading a series of unrelated "grown persons" past the security guards. The situation grew so scandalous that on Easter Monday 1939, the Evening Star reported that Secret Service men were stationed at the White House gates to "break up the kids' rackets."